This invention relates to an optochemical fluorescence sensor with a biorecognitive layer and to a method for measuring the concentration of one or more analytes in a sample.
Optochemical sensors are based on the fact that a chemical reaction between the sensor material and the analyte leads to a change in the optical properties of the sensor. Such a change may concern optical properties such as absorption or fluorescence intensity; as a consequence, the reaction may be detected by means of spectroscopic methods.
Optochemical sensors for measuring concentrations of chemical substances meet with growing interest for several reasons; compared to conventional measuring devices they feature shorter response times, greater mechanical robustness and insensitivity to electromagnetic interferences, in addition to other advantages. To ensure short response times, however, it is essential for such optochemical sensors that the sensor material be sufficiently exposed to the attack of the analyte.